Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Silent Night,” even “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” instantly arouses thoughts of Christmas.

He also brought in his own editor, his longtime collaborator Andrew Mondshein.

Pinchgut OperaCity Recital Hall, November 27Until December 3Reviewed by PETER McCALLUM★★★★★Since its small-scale premier in Dublin in 1742, Handel’s Messiah has grown into a cultural icon that seems, ...